Secret Songs has become a very personal album. The two artists play mostly their own compositions, together with a few special arrangements of well-known jazz standards. Miriam Ast‘s vocals and Victor Gutierrez‘s piano playing enter into an intense musical dialogue that is characterized by warm and lyrical sounds, experimental and free-form passages, and virtuoso improvisations. Ast employs her voice like a true musical instrument, knowing when to caress and when to emphasise. Her brilliant scat singing is complemented on some pieces by the distinctive intonations of British saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, a player who also serves up nimble and impressive duets with the pianist Gutierrez. A veteran of the British jazz scene, Stan Sulzmann has played with greats like Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker and Gil Evans. He is one of the duo‘s London instructors, and they have dedicated three compositions on the album to him. With his exciting improvisations and lively interactions with both vocals and piano, he has enriched the works enormously.
On all of these pieces, as well as those containing lyrics, Ast/Gutierrez focus on melody and harmony, telling stories of emotional intensity and urgency.
With their debut album Secret Songs, Miriam Ast and Victor Gutierrez have managed to bridge the gap between vibrant freshness and musical maturity. It‘s a huge success!
Weitere Neuerscheinungen:

Jeff Hamilton Trio – “Hands On”

Andy Martin & Metropole Orchestra

Ben Wolfe – “13 Sketches”

Jeff Hamilton Trio feat. Frits Landesbergen – “Dynavibes”

“Straight Into Your Heart” – Metropole Orchestra, Nancy King & Steve Christofferson

Claudio Roditi – Metropole Orchestra

Joris Teepe – “Bottom Line”

Pete Yellin & His All Star Group – It’s You Or No One

Here comes Allan Harris and the Metropole Orchestra

Jeff Hamilton Trio – “Live!”

Ralph Moore, Eric Reed, Robert Hurst, Jeff Hamilton – “West Coast Jazz Summit”

George Robert – Metropole Orchestra

Clark Terry – Metropole Orchestra

George Robert – Tom Harrell Quintet – Cape Verde

George Robert, Dado Moroni – “Youngbloods”
